SINGLE SERVE BREWING PACKAGE

Abstract

A single serve brewing container is made entirely of compostable and biodegradable materials. Problems associated with filter clogging and occlusion are solved by providing a filter which has a vertical section between upper and lower horizontal sections.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to single serve brewing packages used with brewers to make coffee, tea and other beverages. More specifically, the present invention relates to a single-serve brewing package made entirely out of compostable and biodegradable materials and adapted to be used to brew beverages in a brewer.

B. Description of the Prior Art

Beverages have been brewed for centuries. A variety pf brewing machines have been used to make coffee, tea and other beverages. Within the past fifteen years, brewers designed to make a single serving of a beverage at one time have grown in popularity. Popular single-serve brewing machines today include machines manufactured by Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. of Waterbury, Vt. and machines sold by Kraft Foods under the Tassimo trademark.

These machines are used in combination with cartridges which contain the dry ingredients necessary to brew a single cup of a beverage. Such cartridges are packages within different ingredients (e.g., different coffee blends) designed to yield beverages having different tastes. Thus, each member of a household (or each patron of an establishment) is able to select between various blends to brew a cup of a beverage according to taste.

A number of environmental pitfalls have arisen as a result of the popularity of brewers which use such cartridges. The single-serve cartridges typically used with such brewers are generally not reusable because they are pierced by components of the brewer as part of the brewing process. Such cartridges are rarely, if ever, recycled. These cartridges are typically made of non-biodegradable and non-compostable plastics and the covers of such cartridges are often made of aluminum. Such cartridges are destined to last for decades, if not centuries, after they have been used. As such, landfills across America and throughout the world are literally filling up with the single serve cartridges used with such brewers. Since recycling of such packages has proven to be impractical and has not substantially reduced the amount of waste generated, there is a real need for a commercially viable single serve brewing package which is made entirely out of compostable and biodegradable materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure describes single-serve brewing packages comprising a cup and a filter assembly, both of which are made out of a compostable and biodegradable material such as a crystalline polylactic acid. The cup has a closed bottom adapted to be pierced by a needle of a brewing machine to extract the brewed beverage, such as coffee, through the bottom of the cup. The cup also has an open top defined by a rim and a side wall extending between the open top and the rim. A filter assembly support ledge extends from the side wall into a first chamber defined by the cup. The side wall also includes reinforcement ribs. The filter assembly comprises a filter membrane and a filter frame for supporting the filter membrane. The filter frame comprises a ring having a central passage and adapted to nest, and be secured in place, between the bottom of the cup and the filter assembly support ledge of the cup. The filter frame also has filter membrane support ribs extending inwardly and upwardly from the ring and cooperating with the ring to support the filter membrane such that the filter membrane has a first horizontal position extending inwardly from the ring, a vertical portion extending upwardly from the first horizontal portion, and a second horizontal portion at the top of the vertical portion. No adhesives are required to secure the filter membrane to the filter frame. Both the filter membrane and the filter frame may be made of polylactic acid, a readily biodegradable and compostable plastic. These parts can be bonded together using heat. Alternatively, the filter frame and filter membrane may be integrally joined together during the molding process. Dried coffee, tea or ingredients for other beverages are placed in the cup and rest on top of the filter assembly. The single-serve brewing package disclosed also includes a lid for sealing the open top of the cup so that the single-serve brewing package may be used to store and transport the dry ingredients for the beverage to be brewed. The lid is also compostable and biodegradable. In one form, the lid comprises an upper layer made of biodegradable and compostable paper and a lower layer made of polylactic acid. Such a lid is particularly advantageous because labeling information may be printed on the paper layer and no adhesive is required to secure the lid to the cup. Instead, a heat seal is created between the polylactic acid forming the rim of the cup and the polylactic acid layer of the lid. Similarly, no adhesives are required to secure the filter membrane to the filter frame. Again, since both the filter membrane and the filter frame are made of polylactic acid, these parts can be bonded together using heat.

When such a container is used to brew a beverage, the container is inserted into a pocket in a brewer. The bottom of the cup and lid are pierced separately by needles of the brewer. Hot water or some other liquid is then injected through the needle extending through the lid. The liquid mixes with the dry material in the container to brew the beverage. The filter assembly is adapted to permit the brewed beverage to pass through the filter membrane while retaining not only the coffee, tea or other beverage grounds above the filter, but also retaining above the filter any sludge produced as part of the brewing process.

The ribs of the filter assembly and the manner in which they support the filter membrane are important features. In one embodiment of the invention, the filter membrane support ribs comprise a first rib extending across the central passage of the ring and a second rib extending across the central passage of the ring such that the central passage through the ring is divided into quadrants by the first and second ribs. Also, the design of the ribs allows the vertical portion of the filter membrane to extend up and into the material to be brewed. This vertical portion extends upwardly from the first horizontal portion to a height that allows at least 10 ounces of the beverage to pass through the filter membrane before the filter membrane becomes occluded with grounds and sludge.

The single-serve brewing package described above can be used with other identical or similar single-serve brewing packages to form a single-serve brewing package system. This system allows the cups (and the filter assemblies located within the cups) to be stacked prior to being filled with material to be brewed and then sealed with the lid. This is achieved by providing a cup having a closed bottom that includes a base and a projection extending upwardly from the base and defining a second chamber open to the bottom of the cup and closed to the first chamber of the cup. Thus, when a second cup is nested with a first cup, the vertical portion and second horizontal portion of the filter membrane (and the associated portions of the support ribs) reside within the second chamber of a second cup. As mentioned above, the side wall of the cup has reinforcement ribs. These ribs are necessary to prevent the cup from losing its shape due to the pressures encountered when brewing the beverage. So that these reinforcement ribs do not interfere with stacking of the cups and so they, in fact, index the cups as they are stacked, these ribs have a triangular shape which helps to guide the cups together when forming the stack.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become better understood from a reading of the following detailed description of the invention in conjunction with the following drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup of a beverage package.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a lid which may be used to cover the cup of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the cup of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cup of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a cup.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a filter frame.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the filter frame of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the filter frame of FIG. 6,

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cup of FIG. 1 with the filter frame of FIG. 6 placed therein.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the cup and filter frame of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a top view of a filter membrane.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the filter frame of FIG. 6 with the filter membrane of FIG. 11 attached.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the filter frame of FIG. 6 with the filter membrane of FIG. 11 attached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A single-serve brewing package is shown in the drawings. The single-serve brewing package comprises a cup 10, filter assembly 40 and a lid 80. All of the components of the cup 10, filter assembly 40 and lid 80 are made of a biodegradable and compostable material. As such, after use, the package and all of its components quickly degrade and do not adversely impact the environment. By way of example, the components of the cup 10 and filter assembly 40 are made of a crystalline polylactic acid (“PLA”) and the lid 80 comprises a paper layer over a layer of PLA. Since PLA components can easily be bonded together using heat, no separate adhesives are required.

Two embodiments of the cup 10 are shown in the drawings. Each cup 10 defines a chamber 12. Each cup 10 has a closed bottom 14, an open top 16 defined by a rim 18, and a side wall 20 extending between the rim 18 and closed bottom 14. A filter assembly support ledge 22 extends inwardly from the support wall 20 into the chamber 12 and defines a filter ring support space 24 between the closed bottom 14 and the filter assembly support ledge 22. The side wall 20 also includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs extending between the rim 18 and the filter assembly support ledge 22. Each of the reinforcing ribs is generally in the shape of an isosceles triangle. The term “generally” is used because, geometrically, triangles are on a single plane and the ribs 26 and 28 extend in a curved fashion partially around the circumference of the cup 10. The base of the triangle of reinforcing ribs 26 is at or near the rim 18. The base of the triangle of reinforcing ribs 28 is at or near the filter assembly support ledge 22.

The primary differences between the two embodiments of the cup 10 shown in the drawings relate to the bottom 14 of the cup 10. In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 4, the bottom 14 is flat. In the other embodiment, shown in FIG. 5, the bottom 14 comprises a flat base 30 and a projection 32 extending upwardly from the base 30. The projection 32 has a generally frusto-conical side wall 34 which defines a second chamber 36. The bottom 38 of the chamber 36 is open. The top 39 of chamber 36 is closed such that the closed bottom 14 of the cup 10 is defined by the base 30 in combination with the side wall 34 and closed top 39 of the projection 32.

The construction of filter assembly 40 is shown best in FIGS. 6 through 13. As shown in FIGS. 11, 12 and 13, the filter assembly 40 includes a filter membrane 42. The membrane has pores 44 large enough to permit a brewed beverage to pass through the membrane 42, but small enough to prevent coffee grounds (or the like) and brewing sludge from passing through the membrane 42. In FIGS. 12 and 14, the size of the pores 44 are exaggerated. One skilled in the art should understand that the size of the pores 44 will depend on the nature of the material to be filtered and will typically be much smaller than as illustrated. The pores 44 will, for example, be about the same as the pores of a typical tea bag.

The filter assembly 40 also includes a filter frame 46. The filter frame 46 is best shown in FIGS. 6 through 8, 12 and 13. The filter frame 46 comprises a ring 48 surrounding a central passage 50. The height and outside diameter of the ring 48 are adapted to the distance between the bottom 14 (base 30) and the filter assembly support ledge 22 of cup 10 so that the ring 48 can be nested between and secured in place by these structures of the cup 10. The ring 48 may be provided with a top rim 52 which engages the filter assembly support ledge 22.

In addition to ring 48, the filter frame 46 includes the filter membrane support ribs 54 and 56. Each support rib 54 and 56 has five sections 61-65. Sections 61 and 62 are joined to and extend generally diametrically and horizontally (inwardly) toward each other from the ring 48. Section 63 extends vertically and upwardly from section 61 and section 64 extends vertically and upwardly from section 62. Section 65 extends between the tops of sections 63 and 64 such that the support ribs 54 and 56 extend the full diameter of the ring 48. Section 65 of rib 54 and section 65 of rib 56 cross at the center of the central passage 50. As such, the ribs 54 and 56 cooperate to divide the central passage into quadrants 66, 67, 68 and 69 as best seen in FIG. 7.

From the foregoing, the reader should appreciate that when the filter membrane 42 is coupled to and supported by the filter frame 46 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the filter membrane 42 will have a first horizontal portion 70 extending inwardly from the ring 48 to the vertically extending sections 63 and 64 of the ribs 54 and 56. The filter membrane 42 will also have a vertical portion 72 as the membrane 42 rises along the vertically extending sections 63 and 64. Finally, the filter membrane will have a second horizontal portion 74 as the membrane 42 extends across the top of the vertical portion 72, i.e., across section 65 of each of ribs 54 and 56. While to make the parts and how they are assembled easier to view, the membrane 42 is not shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. However, the completed assembly will include the membrane 42 attached to the filter frame 46 as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.

The filter assembly 40 is adapted not to melt, warp or otherwise deform when the brewing package is used to brew hot beverages inside the package. This is because the filter assembly 40, comprising the filter frame 46 and filter membrane 42, is post heat treated to create resistance to heat and prevent warping during the brewing cycle. Alternatively, chemical additives may be added to the PLA or other biodegradable and compostable material used to make the filter assembly 40 more resistant to heat. When selecting any such chemical additive, it is important that the inclusion of the chemical additive not substantially interfere with the biodegradability and compostability of the filter assembly. Similar steps may be taken to improve the ability of the cup 10 to handle temperatures encountered when brewing.

The above-described construction of the filter assembly 40 offers several other important advantages. First, vertical portion 72 serves to increase the total surface area of the filter membrane 42. This allows for greater flow of a beverage through the filter membrane. Second, flow through the membrane 42 is multi-planar (e.g., horizontal and vertical) rather than essentially in a single plane, as is the case with flat filters. As such, the risk that the filter will become clogged or occluded with grounds or sludge during brewing is essentially eliminated. Third, even if the first horizontal portion 70 becomes occluded by grounds or sludge during brewing, the vertical portion 72 and second horizontal portion provide an overflow mechanism.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a lid 80 which may be employed to seal the open top 16 of the cup 10. The lid 80 comprises a paper disk 82 laminated to a disk 84 made of PLA. The paper used and PLA are both compostable and biodegradable. The paper allows for printed information to be applied to the package 1. The PLA 84 allows the lid 80 to be readily bonded to the cup 10 using heat. PLA has a relatively low melting temperature so sufficient heat applied to the rim 18 of cup 10 and/or the PLA layer 84 of the lid 80 will bond the lid 80 to the cup 10.

Packaging of beverage ingredients will now be described using coffee as an example. Packaging of ingredients for other beverages may be carried out in the same way. in one embodiment, a stack of cups 10 and a stack of filter assemblies 40 is procured. The cups 10 are easily stacked given the triangular shape and arrangement of the reinforcing ribs 26 and 28 which allow the cups 10 to be nested together. Likewise, the filter assemblies stack and nest. The vertical portion 72 and second horizontal portion 74 of one filter assembly 40 will fit over the vertical portion 72 and second horizontal portion 74 of a second filter assembly 40 permitting the rings 48 of the two filter assemblies 40 to be nested with and engage each other.

Next, a filter assembly 40 and a cup 10 are removed from the respective stacks. The filter assembly 40 is inserted into the cup 10 and snapped in place. Specifically, the ring 48 of the filter assembly is nested between the bottom 14 and filter assembly support ledge 22 of the cup 10 with the vertical portion 72 of the filter assembly 40 extending toward the rim 18 of the cup 10. Next, the ingredients (e.g., the dried coffee) are deposited in the cup 10 over the filter assembly 40. Using heat, the lid 80 is bonded to the rim 18 of the cup to complete the package. When the style of cup shown in FIG. 4 is employed, the cup 10 and filter assembly 40 may be preassembled and stacked. This is because when two such assemblies are nested together, the vertical portion 72 and horizontal portion 74 of the filter assembly 10 of one such assembly will fit within the second chamber 36 of the projection 32 formed in the bottom 14 of the cup 10 of the other assembly. One simply takes one of these assemblies, fills it with coffee (or other desired ingredients) and then attaches the lid 80.

In addition to being compostable and biodegradable, the packages described above offer several specific advantages when brewing beverages in a single serve brewer such as a Keurig coffee brewer. First, the size and shape of the cup 10 may be adapted to mate with the brewer. Second, such brewers typically have needles which must penetrate the package. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the brewer includes a needle 100 which pierces the lid 80 and is used to inject hot water into the package. The brewer includes a needle 102 which pierces the bottom 14 of the cup 10 to extract brewed beverage that has passed through the filter assembly 40. One of the functions performed by the ring 48 of the filter assembly 40 is to reinforce the bottom 14 so that the needle 102 will penetrate the bottom 14 rather than crumple the cup 10. Third, such brewers are designed to produce a beverage serving of a known size, typically 10 fluid ounces. While a flat filter will often become occluded with grounds and sludge before a full 10 ounces of the beverage has flowed through the filter, by providing a filter assembly 40 having a vertical filter portion 72 of adequate height and a second horizontal filter portion 74, this problem is avoided. The height of the vertical portion 72 may be adjusted to accommodate different serving sizes (the larger the serving size, the taller the vertical portion) and the characteristics of the material used to brew the beverage. Fourth, the problem of “filter blow-out” is eliminated. This problem occurs when a filter becomes occluded and pressure within the cup causes the filter to rupture. Rupturing of the filter prevents the filter from keeping grounds and sludge separate from the beverage to be consumed. The vertical and second horizontal portions of the filter provide an overflow mechanism which prevents filter blowout from occurring. Fifth, PLA is somewhat fragile compared to plastics typically used to form cups for brewing packaging. The ribs shown in the drawing prevent package rupture at typical brewing pressures and also assist (rather than interfere) with stacking.

In summary, the described embodiments provide a package which addresses the environmental concerns of the packages most commonly used in the prior art. Likewise, problems related to filtration and strength which have plagued earlier attempts to provide a successful biodegradable and compostable brewing package are solved by the invention embodied as described above.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications may be made to the embodiments described above without deviating from the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited by those embodiments, but only by the following claims to which a reasonable range of equivalents are to be afforded.

Claims

1. A single-serve brewing package comprising:

a. a cup made of a compostable and biodegradable material and defining a first chamber, said cup having a closed bottom adapted to be pierced by a needle of a brewing machine, an open top defined by a rim, a sidewall extending between the rim and the closed bottom, a filter assembly support ledge extending from the sidewall into the chamber, and reinforcement ribs; and

b. a filter assembly comprising a filter membrane and filter frame for supporting the filter membrane, said filter membrane and filter frame each made of a compostable and biodegradable material, said filter frame having (i) a ring having a central passage and adapted to nest and be secured in place between the bottom of the cup and filter assembly support ledge of the cup, and (ii) filter membrane support ribs extending inwardly and upwardly from the ring and cooperating with the ring to support the filter membrane such that the filter membrane has a first horizontal portion extending inwardly from the ring, a vertical portion extending upwardly from the first horizontal portion, and a second horizontal portion at the top of the vertical portion.

2. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 further comprising a compostable and biodegradable lid for sealing the open top of the cup.

3. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 wherein said cup and filter assembly are made of the same compostable and biodegradable material.

4. The single-serve brewing package of claim 3 wherein said compostable and biodegradable material is a crystalline polylactic acid.

5. The single-serve brewing package of claim 2 wherein the lid comprises an upper layer made of paper and a lower layer made of polylactic acid.

6. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 wherein said filter membrane support ribs comprise a first rib extending across the central passage of the ring and a second rib extending across a central passage of the ring such that the central passage through the ring is divided into quadrants by the first and second ribs.

7. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 wherein the filter assembly is adapted to retain grounds and sludge in the cup above the filter ring while permitting a brewed beverage formed in the cup by mixing a liquid injected into the cup with the grounds to pass through the filter membrane and central passage.

8. The single-serve brewing package of claim 7 wherein the vertical portion extends upwardly from the first horizontal portion to a height which allows at least 10 ounces of the beverage to pass through the filter membrane before the filter membrane becomes occluded with grounds and sludge.

9. The single-serve brewing package of claim 7 wherein the brewed beverage is coffee.

10. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 wherein said reinforcement ribs each comprise a triangular shape.

11. The single-serve brewing package of claim 1 wherein the closed bottom includes a base and a projection extending upwardly from the base which defines a second chamber open to the bottom of the cup and closed to the first chamber of the cup.

12. A single-serve brewing packaging system comprising a plurality of stackable single-serve brewing packages each comprising:

a. a cup made of a compostable and biodegradable material and defining a first chamber, said cup having a closed bottom adapted to be pierced by a needle of a brewing machine, an open top defined by a rim, a sidewall extending between the open top and the rim, a filter assembly support ledge extending from the sidewall into the chamber, and reinforcement ribs; and

b. a filter assembly comprising a filter membrane and filter frame for supporting the filter membrane, said filter membrane and filter frame each made of a compostable and biodegradable material, said filter frame having (i) a ring having a central passage and adapted to nest and be secured in place between the bottom of the cup and filter assembly support ledge of the cup and (ii) filter membrane support ribs extending inwardly and upwardly from the ring and cooperating with the ring to support the filter membrane such that the filter membrane has a first horizontal portion extending inwardly from the ring, a vertical portion extending upwardly from the first horizontal portion, and a second horizontal portion at the top of the vertical portion, said filter assembly adapted to resist warping during the brewing of hot beverages.

13. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 wherein said reinforcement ribs of each cup comprise a triangular shape adapted for indexing the single-serve brewing packages as they are stacked.

14. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 wherein the closed bottom of each cup of each single serve brewing package includes a base and a projection extending upwardly from the base which defines a second chamber open to the bottom of the cup and closed to the first chamber of the cup, said second chamber adapted to receive the vertical portion and second horizontal portion of the filter assembly of another of the plurality of single serve brewing packages when plurality of single serve brewing packages are stacked together.

15. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 further comprising compostable and biodegradable lids for sealing the open tops of each of the cups.

16. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 wherein said cup and filter assembly of each stackable single-serve brewing package are made of a crystalline polylactic acid.

17. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 wherein said filter membrane support ribs of each single serve brewing package comprise a first rib extending across the central passage of the ring and a second rib extending across the central passage of the ring such that the central passage through the ring is divided into quadrants by the first and second ribs.

18. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 12 wherein the filter assembly of each single serve brewing package is adapted to retain grounds and sludge in the cup above the filter ring while permitting a brewed beverage formed in the cup by mixing a liquid injected into the cup with the grounds to pass through the filter membrane and central passage.

19. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 18 wherein the vertical portion of the filter assembly of each single serve brewing package extends upwardly from the first horizontal portion to a height which allows at least 10 ounces of the beverage to pass through the filter membrane before the filter membrane becomes occluded with grounds and sludge.

20. The single-serve brewing packaging system of claim 18 wherein the brewed beverage is coffee.